M-way gridlock warning

MOTORWAYS around Manchester face gridlock unless action is taken. The M60, M6, M62 and M56 are among routes most at risk. They are part of 1,000 miles of major roads which face severe congestion by the year 2041 unless more road capacity is created, according to a report.

Its report, Roads and Reality, calls for an extra 372 lane miles, which would yield `substantial benefits in journey times and reliability'.

It forecasts that, by 2041, car ownership will be 44 per cent higher than today and car traffic will increase by 37 per cent.

The report says the government has `some tough choices to make' to avoid severe congestion in the future, and warns that road pricing is not a substitute to investment in new roads. Without added capacity on major routes, charging will simply drive poorer motorists off the road.

The study seeks to debunk a number of transport `myths' including the suggestion that roadbuilding takes up huge areas of land.

It says trunk roads carry a third of total traffic and occupy just 0.16 per cent of land.

The report also says that new roads do not just fill up with traffic, and while they do generate some, they also reduce congestion.